Northern Counties Whippet Club General Code of Ethics:
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AGM: 26th January 2019:
All members of the Northern Counties Whippet Club agreed to undertake and abide by the General Code of Ethics
Club Member;
1) Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.
2) Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon performing an operation on any of their dogs which alters the natural conformation of the animal, may report such an operation to the Kennel Club.
3) Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies that may not conform to the Breed Standard should be placed in suitable homes.
4) Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.
5) Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally.
6) Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed.
Any bitch shall be at least two years old on the day of birth of her first litter. There should be at least fifteen months between the birth of her
litters and she should have no more than three litters in total. No bitch shall be bred from over the age of 7 years.
7) Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.
8) Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.
9) Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.
10) Will only sell dogs where there is a responsible expectation of a happy and healthy life and will help with the re-homing of a dog if the initial circumstances change.
11) Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.
12) Will ensure that all relevant Kennel Club documents are provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a dog, and will agree, in writing, to forward any relevant documents at the earliest opportunity, if not immediately available.
13) Will not sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, retail pet dealers, or directly or indirectly allow dogs to be given as a prize or donation in a competition of any kind. Will not sell by sale or auction Kennel Club registration certificates as stand alone items (not accompanying a dog).
14) Will not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of the breed nor falsely advertise dogs nor mislead any person regarding the health or quality of the dog.
Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from club membership, and/or disciplinary action by the Kennel Club and/or reporting to the relevant authorities for legal action, as appropriate.
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Kennel Club Code of Conduct
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Kennel Club Rules and Regulations.
People
Conduct - participants have a duty both to their dogs and to others to make licensed events friendly and welcoming, and are expected to be co-operative and above all create a safe environment for all to enjoy their time at licensed events.
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Sportsmanship
participants should conduct themselves at all times in an appropriate fashion and should display good manners and respect towards other participants, show officials and to the judges. Any verbal communication with a judge should take place after judging has taken place and must be conducted in a polite and professional manner.
Abusive or aggressive behaviour towards anyone at the show – including the judge, other participants, show management or other officials - will not be tolerated under any circumstances (further information appears later in this publication regarding harassment).
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Do not interfere with any dog whilst it is being judged.
Smoking is not permitted whilst exhibiting or whilst a dog is under test or in breach of the law.
Mobile phones should be turned off whilst exhibiting or whilst your dog is under test.
If you have children, do not allow them to touch any dogs unless you have the permission of the owner for them to do so. Be aware of where your children are, and what they are doing, at all times. Take special care around benching areas where dogs may react to an unexpected approach.
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Dogs
All dogs must be of the correct temperament to enable the judge to examine the exhibit, independently of the exhibitor’s assistance.
Sparring between dogs is discouraged.
Dogs are not permitted to wear muzzles of any kind whilst being judged.
Harassment - A Zero Tolerance approach No-one should be subject to intimidation or made to feel alarmed or distressed or put in fear of reprisal. Harassment is a criminal offence. To that
end the Kennel Club adopts a zero tolerance towards all type of harassment activity. Harassment may be defined as causing alarm, distress and anxiety and fear of physical violence or other threat, offensive statements, verbal abuse and threats.
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Conduct may include speech, obstruction and so on. As such conduct may involve a criminal offence the police may be involved and it may be that the Kennel Club will defer any action pending the outcome of such investigation and/or prosecution. It goes without saying that the Kennel Club expects courtesy and co-operation to be shown towards all staff and organisers at any Kennel Club licensed event.
Whilst the pressures and tensions which arise at competitive level are understood, any aggression or abuse towards those who are simply undertaking their jobs for the benefit and interest of the exhibitor/competitor and the audience and ultimately the dog itself cannot be tolerated.
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Conduct on Social Media:
Maintain Privacy
Do not discuss a situation involving named or pictured individuals on a social media site without their permission. As a guideline, do not post anything that you would not present in a public forum. Ask yourself, would I want to see this published in the newspaper or posted on a billboard tomorrow or ten years from now?
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Does it Pass the Publicity Test
If the content of your message would not be acceptable for face-to-face conversation, over the telephone, or in another medium, it will not be acceptable for a social networking site.
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Think Before You Post
There’s no such thing as a “private” social media site. Search engines can turn up posts and pictures years after the publication date. Comments can be forwarded or copied.
If you feel angry or passionate about a subject, it’s wise to delay posting until you are calm and clear-headed.
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Understand Your Personal Responsibility
You are personally responsible for the content you publish on blogs or any other form of user-generated content. Be mindful that what you publish will be public for a long time—protect your privacy.
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Be Aware of Liability
You are responsible for what you post on your own site and on the sites of others. Individual bloggers have been held liable for commentary deemed to be copyright infringement, defamatory, proprietary, libellous, or obscene (as defined by the courts). Be sure that what you post today will not come back to haunt you.
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Be Accurate
Make sure that you have all the facts before you post. It’s better to verify information with a source first than to have to post a correction or retraction later.
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Correct Mistakes
If you make a mistake, admit it. Be upfront and be quick with your correction.
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Respect Others
You are more likely to achieve your goals or sway others to your beliefs if you are constructive and respectful while discussing a bad experience or disagreeing with a concept or person. Do not engage publicly in verbally disrespecting others successes.
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Respect Your Audience
Don’t use personal insults, obscenity, also show proper consideration for others’ privacy and for topics that may be considered sensitive. Users are free to discuss topics and disagree with one another, but be respectful of others’ opinions. You are more likely to achieve your goals if you are constructive and respectful while discussing a bad experience or disagreeing with a concept or person.
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